A Seven Year Old’s Bucket List

The last week of the school year, MJ (age 7) was asked to make a “Summer Bucket List” which would include her top wishes of things she hopes to do this summer. She told me she thought long and hard about her list, and wanted to pick things that meant the most to her.

I shared this sentiment with my therapist, as I stated I wish my mentality could be that of a seven year old’s. How simple, easy, and fun life would be. He interrogated back at me, “Why can’t it be that simple, easy and fun? The only person stopping you from that is you.”

And so perhaps, I needed the reminder, and a bit of a mind shift, for me to realize it can be that simple, easy, and fun. Don’t get me wrong, being an adult comes with the complicated, hard, and boring things too; but why should that have to be my focus?

So… to her list:

1. Go camping
2. Go to a water park
3. Go fishing
4. Invite people over
5. Go to Jack’s house
6. Plant flowers

When I questioned her motives, she gave me reasons as to why she picked each item. She chose camping because she remembers camping in the backyard, in a tent, when she was five, and it allowed her to sleep super close to me and I kept her warm. She felt safe. She also liked waking up being able to hear the chickens clucking.

She’d like to go to a water park, because that’s what a couple of her friends wrote down, and she thought that sounded fun, though she’s never been to one and doesn’t know what to expect. I asked her if the Effingham Pool she went to last year counted and she excitedly said, “You mean I get to go back there!” You sure do sweet girl.

I was certain that her reasoning behind “Go fishing” was going to be because she always catches more fish than Mills and she loves winning (no matter the occasion). But she told me it’s when “Daddy is the proudest of me! He always gets excited when I catch a fish, and daddy doesn’t get excited very often.” *Cue wiping my mascara*

Invite People Over. She said, “Remember last summer at Millie’s birthday party? She was so excited that everyone came to see her and play on the waterslide! And mom, you let me help you decorate all the pizza boxes so people thought we really got pizza from Pizza Planet, but it was really just Papa Johns! That was so cool mom! And we stayed up really late while you and dad talked to Addy’s mom and dad and we got to throw the big red ball on the roof of the house and Addy said that was the most fun she had all summer!”

Although her words, “Go to Jack’s house” seem very simple and to the point (and quite easy to accomplish as we’re usually there at least once per month), when I asked about it, she said, “I love going to Jack’s house because that’s where Jon, Jolleen, and Jessie are. You and dad take me there, and we all have so much fun and you laugh a lot when we go there. I like when you laugh.”

And last but certainly not least, “Plant flowers.” She said this is because she knows flowers make me happy. She remembers last year when we all planted flowers and Jake and I sang along to the radio on the four wheeler, her dogs were chewing on the really big bones from Rural King, and she and Millie got to help take the flowers out of their tiny black containers and put them in the really big pots!

Reviewing all of these things proves one huge thing to me… this girl has the biggest, kindest, sweetest heart. All of her bucket list items are because they make someone else happy, or proud, or provide someone else with fun. I know, I know… in turn that means she’s having fun and truly that’s all that matters. That really is all that matters. Having fun.

Yes, my life most recently has been complicated, hard, and full of boring/mundane aspects, but if even through the pain (sharp, shooting pains) and numbness (mostly in my arms, but now in my legs, ankles and wrists) and depression I can at least have some type of fun… I think we’ll make it through the summer alright. And at this point in time, that’s all I really need or want to focus on. Let’s make it through the summer, having as much fun as we possibly can!